Blumenthal Statement on Obama Administration Increase in Accepted Refugees

(Hartford, CT) – In response to the announcement by the Obama Administration that the U.S. will increase the limit of accepted refugees from 70,000 to 100,000 in 2017, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Co-Chair of the Senate Caucus to End Human Trafficking and member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, issued the following statement:

“This expansion of refugee resettlement is an admission that the scope and scale of our response to the Syrian crisis remains inadequate, both in welcoming displaced families fleeing the brutal conflict and in working towards a regional response to end it. I call on the Administration to immediately implement a robust refugee program for those seeking protection, expand our capacity to swiftly process and effectively resettle these refugees, and urge our allies to do the same. Increasing the number of refugees we welcome is insufficient as a response if we do not have the expanded capacity to screen and effectively resettle refugees here.”

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